Jacquard mechanism



ec. 1934. H. GooDLEY JACQUARD MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 20, 1932 Lgf-"gif Dec'. 11, 1934. H, GOODLEY 11,984,128 l JACQUARD MECHANISM Filed July 2o, 1952 2 sheets-sheet 2 /2/ /QMMM da? Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application July 20, 1932, Serial No. 623,669 In Great Britain July 23, 1931 2 Claims.

This invention comprises improvements in jacquard devices and mechanism controlled thereby and is applicable to all types of textile machinery incorporating jacquards, such for example as lace curtain machines and knitting machines.

As is well-known, in a lace curtain machine jacquards are utilized for the selective operation of pickers or jacks which are adapted to be projected between the spool, warp and other threads so as to control the movement imparted to.` said threads and determine the class or pattern of fabric produced on the machine.

It is customary in many existing curtain machines, as also in certain other types of textile machinery, to have the pickers or jacks operated from the jacquards through the intermediary of a series of strings which are fastened to the upright needles or litters of the jacquards and extend to said pickers through suitable sley bars. The jacquards are, of necessity, fixed at the top of or above the machine frame and when mounted are usually from 16 feet to 20 feet above floor level.

This, of course, renders it necessary that the room housing the machine shall be of considerably more than average height, Whilst in addition, the numerous strings extending from the jacquards to thepickers are also of considerable length (usually from k15 feet to 25 feet) and are so affected by variable atmospheric conditions as to require constant attention and frequent adjustment to ensure good wor-k being produced.

Now an important object of the present invention is toprovide means whereby the employment of the aforementioned strings for patterns is rendered unnecessary, thus eliminating the care and attention required and time absorbed in regulating and adjusting said strings, and obviating the possibility of Waste or faulty fabric which is at present frequently caused by the varying or inaccurate lengths of strings.

Another object of the invention is to provide jacquard mechanism which can be located at any desired position relatively to the mechanism being operated or controlled thereby, thus obviating the necessity which at present exists of providing an unusually lofty room for accommodating a lace curtain machine or other machine incorporating said jacquard mechanism. y

With these and other objects in View, the present invention consists in the provision in a textile machine of a jacquard device or mechanism, electrical contact elements associated with said jacquard, electro-magnets which are energized (Cl. S56-20) and de-energized by the making and breaking of said jacquard contacts, and means whereby said contacts operate through said magnets selectively to control the motion of thread controlling elements in the machine.

In the application of the invention to a lace curtain machine or similar textile machine, an electro-magnet or solenoid is provided in connection with each of a series of thread control pickers erI jacks, or with each or a plurality of groups thereof, the jacquard functioning selectively to make and break the circuits of said magnets in a predetermined order or sequence `and by so doing selectively operate the pickers to produce numerous and varied patterns or weaves of fabric including all those at present made on this type of machine.

For the purpose of more fully describing the nature of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a general view in part-sectional elevation illustrating jacquard mechanism applied to a lace curtain machine.

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in section showing more clearly the control of pickers by the jacquard.

Figure 3` shows an end elevation, a pair of jacquard cylinders and suitable operating mechanism therefor.

In one convenient method of carrying out the invention.V the same will be described by way of example as applied to a lace curtain machine, having jacquard mechanism intermittently racked in the customary manner, a chain of perforated jacquard cards being passed over a cylinder.

The jacquard cylinder l, or each of a plurality thereof, is, in this invention, provided with face plates 2 of copper or other suitable conductive metal which constitute Contact plates, and at each turn of the jacquard cylinder a predetermined number of jacquard pins 3 are adapted to project through perforations in the cards 4 and make contact with a face plate 2. Each of these jacquard pinsl3 is electrically connected by Wire to a single electro-magnet 5, with which is associated a slidably displaceable notched bar or equivalent retaining member 6 rigidly connected, advantageously by a rod or stiff wire 7, to a picker or jack 8, it being understood that a separate slidable bar 6 is provided for and connectedv to each picker 8.

The pickers Stare elastic or resilient and conveniently of the type at present employed on a curtain machine, said pickers being operated upon by a cam device 9 of customary design functioning intermittently to project same between the warp and spool threads 10.

Whereas, however, the selection of the pickers to be projected between the threads and the extent of such projection has heretofore usually been governed from the jacquard through the medium of strings, this is accomplished in the present invention electrically, through the aforesaid electro-magnets 5.

To this end, when a jacquard pin 3 registers with a perforation in a card 4 and projects therethrough to a contact plate 2, an electrical circuit is completed through a suitable battery 11 or other source of current supply and a magnet 5 which is thereby energized. The armature of the said magnet is attracted and a pin or element 12 carried thereby is withdrawn from a notch in the slidably displaceable notched bar 6 connected to a picker 8 as before described. The bar 6 is thereby released and the picker associated therewith is free to be projected between the threads by the cam 9. When the contact between the jacquard pin 3 and cylinder plate 2 is broken the magnet is de-energized and the pin or element 12 permitted to fall by gravity into engagement with a notch in the bar 6 and retain the picker 8 withdrawn or inoperative. While the magnet is energized it will be understood that the notched bar 6 and picker 8 are free to be moved by the cam. These operations are permitted by the arrangement of apparatus described and the employment of resilient pickers 8.

Thus it will be appreciated that the selective energization of the several magnets determined by the perforations of the jacquard cards selectively releases the pickers for operation by the picker cam 9.

Additionally, the distance to which each picker is projected between the threads can be varied and accurately adjusted for producing diilerent classes of work, this being accomplished by providing in each of the slidable members 6 connected with each picker a plurality of notches spaced longitudinally.

In the arrangement illustrated in the drawings each bar 6 is provided with two notches 13, 14, one face of each notch being vertical, while the other face inclines gradually from the top of the bar, the two notches being spaced a short distance apart in the length of the bar. The provision of two notches such as 13, 14 enables the pickers 8 to be retained fully withdrawn from the threads 10 or in a position projecting partly through said threads, say for example, beyond the first series of threads through which the pickers pass. Also by maintaining the magnets energized the pickers can be moved to the full extent between the threads 1G by the cam 9. Thus, what is known as a half and a full lift can be imparted to the pickers at will.

To enable this variably adjustable movement of the pickers to be obtained a pair of jacquard cylinders l are employed adapted to be moved towards and away from the jacquard pins 3, and in the arrangement illustrated one jacquard cylinder is moved towards the pins at the time the other jacquard cylinder is moved away from same. To retain certain of the pickers in a fully withdrawn position as shown in Figure 3 the jacquard pins 3 appertaining to said pickers coact with an imperforate part of the cards 4 of the one cylinder so as to maintain the magnets appertaining to the selected pickers de-energized. The pin or element 12 of each of said de-energized magnets will then enter into engagement with the rst notch 13 in the bar 6 and retain said bar and consequently also the picker 8 from inward movement. When the second jacquard cylinder comes into action the pins 3 electrically connected to said selected magnets will still coact with imperforate parts of the jacquard cards and the magnets will rernan cle-energized, thus retaining the pickers fully withdrawn. If itis required 'partially to project selected pickers between the threads l0, i. e. to give a half motion thereto, the jacquard 3 appertaining to said selected pickers iirst pass through perforations in the jacquard cards and engage a contact plate 2 so as to close the circuit of selected magnets and energize the same. This lifts the pin l2 of each energized magnet and permits the notched bar 6 and its associated picker S to be moved inwardly by the cam 9. When the bar 6 has moved a short distance to bring the element 12 in a position between the two notches 13, 14, the first jacquard cylinder moves away from the jacquard pins 3 so as to deenergize the magnets and cause each pin 12 operated by said magnets to fall between the said notches 13, 14. During the continued movement of the bar 6 the pin l2 of each de-energized magnet will coact with the second notch 14 and prevent further inward movement of the selected pickers 8. When the second jacquard cylinder comes into operation the jacquard pins 3 appertaining to the pickers to which the partial or half motion is to be imparted are caused to coact with imperforate parts of the jacquard card so as to maintain the selected magnets de-energized and the pins l2 in the second notch 14.

When, in addition to the before-described operations, it is required to impart a greater degree of inward projection, e.'g. full motion, to a predetermined number of the pickers, the second jacquard cylinder moves in so that selected of the pins 3 penetrate the jacquard card and coact with a contact plate 2 and in so doing energize the magnets associated with the full motion pickers. The pins 12 appertaining to these magnets are thus withdrawn or lifted clear of the notches 13, 14 in the bar 6 and the pickers are moved in to the full extent by the cam 9.

It will thus be seen that the jacquard mechanism is dual in its construction and operation, that is it has two cylinders and two sets of contact and electric conducting devices and that these two parts of the mechanism are operated in succession; and also that the cam device that positively controls the movements of the pickers to force them between the threads is in operation during those momentary periods between alternate operations of the jacquard mechanism, so that between each change of the jacquard mechanism and during each operation of the cam all the electro-magnets are simultaneously de-energized and the catches 12, including those controlled by the magnets just immediately before energized, are in engagement with the bars 6, as has been described.

In this way it will be observed that the pickers are selectively operable to be held withdrawn or projected to different extents as desired in accordance with the required pattern or texture of the fabric being produced.

The movement of the jacquard cylinders 1 in opposite directions may be effected through bell crank lever. mechanism such as shown in Figure 2, one of the cylinders being reciprocated through bell crank lever 15 rocking on a shaft `lG-andlink 17, and the second cylinder being reciprocated through bell crank lever 18 on shaft 19 and link 20, the rocking of the two bell cranks and 1S being eiected from cranks or eccentrics (not shown) through rods 21. By a suitable adjustment of the relative angular disposi tion or throw of the cranks or ecc'entrics the relative motionsimparted to the two cylinders can readily be timed. The intermittent rotation or racking or" the cylinders is effected in the well-known manner by means of clawkers 22 coacting with pins on said cylinders.

The jacquard Contact pins 3 are mounted in blocks 23 constructed wholly or partially of suitable insulating material, and in one convenient arrangement each pin is formed in two sections 3 and 3a as shown in Figure 3, the two sections being connected by a light metal spring 24 which permits short axial movement of the part 3 within the block 23 when said pin coa'cts with an imperforate part of the jacquard card. If desired, each pin section 3, 3a may be provided with a collar or enlargement 3b located on the inner side of face plates 23a on the block 23.

The several wires 25 extending from the contact pins 3 to the magnets 5 may, if desired, be gathered together in one or more groups or bunches and passed through one or more tubes or sheaths 26.

It is to be understood that the invention as applied to a lace curtain machine is not to be considered as restricted to the particular arrangement hereinbefore described as same may be modified or amplified in many ways. For example, the known type of pickers or jacks and/or the operating cams therefor may be replaced by other suitable picker mechanism.

I claim:

1. A lace machine embodying in combination a series of pickers or jacks cooperating with shogged threads in the machine, said pickers being normally held clear of the threads, a cam device operating normally to project the pickers between said threads, a slidable bar connected to and movable with each picker, each bar having a plurality of spaced notches, a series of electromagnets associated with the pickers, not more than one magnet to each picker, a catch associated with each magnet and jacquard mechanism including a pair of rotary jacquard cylinders, contact plates on said cylinders, perforated jacquard cards traversing each cylinder over said Contact plates, spring-innuenced contact pins selectively engaging with said contact plates through said cards so as selectively to energize the electro-magnets appertaining to the pickers, one contact pin of each jacquard cylinder being in the electrical circuit of each magnet, and the energizing and de-energizing of each magnet being timed from the two jacquard cylinders so as to determine the degree of inward movement imparted to the pickers.

2. A lace machine embodying in combination a series of pickers or jacks cooperating with shogged threads in the machine, said pickers being normally held clear of the threads, a 'cam device intermittently operating to move the pick- ,ers which may be free and project them between the threads, a slidable bar connected to and moving with each picker, each bar having a plurality of spaced notches, a series of electromagnets associated with the pickers, one only to each picker, a catch associated with each magnet adapted to engage in succession with the notches in a bar, and a dual jacquard mechanism, its parts operating in alternation and each arranged to control the operation of the electromagnets, the aforesaid cam device being arranged to operate between successive movements of the jacquard mechanism, whereby there is a momentary de-energization o all the electromagnets during each operation of the cam device.

HARRY GOODLEY. 

